Building collapses in Poland: 5 killed, 4 injured, 1 missing

http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/2d957f6bfe2441f288678..." data-reactid="12" />Rescuers and firefighters search for 11 missing people in the rubble of an apartment house that collapsed in Swiebodzice, Poland, on Saturday, April 8, 2017. Firefighters suspect the collapse might have been caused by a gas explosion. Several people were killed and injured. (AP Photo)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A pre-World War II apartment house collapsed Saturday in southwestern Poland, leaving five people dead, four injured and one missing, authorities said.

Scores of firefighters with dogs were searching the rubble of the building in the town of Swiebodzice (Shvyeh-'boh-tchi-tseh), according to Daniel Mucha, regional spokesman for the firefighters. He said the collapse of two floors of the three-floor building might have been caused by a gas explosion.

Regional governor Pawel Hreniak said the search-and-rescue operation was expected to continue through Sunday.

He confirmed five fatalities, including two school-age children.

Still, firefighters looking for one more missing person said there were no sounds yet coming from the building's bricks and broken wood.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo was heading to the site, 420 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Warsaw, to be with the victims and the rescue workers.

The governor of Swiebodzice, Bogdan Kozuchowicz, said the pre-World War II building was recently renovated and had been in good technical condition.

The injured were taken to hospitals in Swiebodzice and in Wroclaw. One survivor, identified only by her first name Stanislawa, told TVN24 that she was "miraculously saved."

"I was in the kitchen and suddenly it was dark and full of debris and some broken wooden planks," she said from her hospital bed in Swiebodzice. "I got on top of those planks and started calling 'Help! Help!' Two firefighters came and pulled me out by the arm."

She said her husband was resting on the bed at the time of the collapse.

"I don't know what has happened to him," she said, her voice trembling.

With her teenage son, also a survivor, at her side, she said the family had lost everything.

We have described a time preceding the last weeks when emergency management teams would be exhausted, turning a deaf ear in countries like the US and Britain to cries of "terrorism" and a need to install martial law. What could cause such a state, worldwide? Earthquakes have increased in frequency and strength, and accidents in the stretch zones are increasing because the plates have loosened up and are moving a greater distance during each adjustment. The recent breaks in Internet cables around the Arabian Plate are a case in point. Where earthquakes of lower magnitude are registered and often felt, when they increase in size to a magnitude 6 or 7 or greater, infrastructure is destroyed.

What will it be like when earthquakes are happening to most cities around the world, simultaneously? Stretch zones will experience even more destruction, as the infrastructure will be pulled apart. Gas mains will explode into holocausts. Travel will become impossible when roadways are torn apart or heaved up. And the increasingly volatile atmosphere, jerked about by the wobble, will make air travel treacherous. Where faltering on occasion now, satellites will falter increasingly, making communications difficult. All this leads to panic, so that distracted workers cause malfunctions in services. This can be expected before the last weeks arrive.

These are the buildings that collapsed in the Mexico City earthquake (with before and after images)

Dozens of buildings, 38 according to the most recent update, were affected to a greater or lesser extent by Tuesday's earthquake. Schools, chemical labs, apartment buildings and offices. This is a list of some of them along with what is known so far.

Rescuers were still helping find and pull people from what The Associated Press described as a "huge mound of mud, concrete slabs and twisted steel girders" Thursday afternoon. The building was located in the Bhendi Bazaar area in the south of the Indian coastal city.

More than a dozen people had been rescued and sent to a hospital Thursday afternoon, and several more may still be trapped in the rubble.

Manoj Sharma, a police official, told the AP that nine families lived in the building.

A nearby resident described the scene to Reuters. "There was a massive bang. We couldn't see anything due to the dust and smoke. Once the dust settled, we realised it was a building collapse," Amina Sheikh told the wire service.

Structural collapses — not just of buildings — are more common in India than in the West. A wall collapsed during a wedding in May in northern India, leaving 24 people dead. Last year, an overpass fell in Kolkata, killing 26 people. More than 70 people were killed when a seven-story building went down in Thane in 2013. Sixty-six people died in a four-story New Delhi building that fell in 2010.

Flooding and torrential rain are suspected of weakening poorly built structures. As the AP explains:

"Building collapses are common in India during the monsoon season, which is June to September. High demand and lax regulations encourage some builders to use substandard materials or add unauthorized extra floors."

About 1,200 people have died in the recent floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

NPR's Julie McCarthy explained on Thursday's Morning Edition why development has made Mumbai, in a similar way to Houston, particularly vulnerable to flooding:

"Many parts of Mumbai sit just feet above sea level. And this is one of the world's most populous cities — 20 million people. And it's a mecca for people migrating to the city for jobs. And that is driving construction. It's popping up on flood plains and coastal areas unchecked. And all that is also generating tons of garbage. And what have they discovered? That the waste is clogging the stormwater drains which makes Mumbai even more vulnerable to flooding."

Bridge Collapses in India – level 3

In Bihar, India, raging floodwater caused a bridge to collapse with people on it, and we do not know what happened to all of those people. Some of them were able to climb up on the other side.

The floods have killed at least 78 people and devastated villages in Nepal. Thousands of people have fled their homes with their only suitcases. Since June, flooding and landslides killed over 250 people in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Across South Asia, the monsoons have affected more than 16 million people. The people displaced by the weather are now at risk of diseases, starvation, and death.

Tunnel collapse cuts France-Germany rail link

Repairs to a collapsed tunnel that has blocked the rail link between Strasbourg and Germany will take until at least August 26, SNCF has said.

The partial collapse occurred during maintenance work on the tunnel, and mean that all TGV and ICE services between the two countries have been cancelled.

TGVs from Paris now have to terminate at the Moselle town of Forbach. Seven of the 18 daily services between the capital and the Bas-Rhin city have been cut until the tunnel reopens.

"Customers from Strasbourg who have booked to travel on international trains to Germany are invited to postpone their journey or to take regional trains to Baden Baden and then road substitutes to Karlsruhe," SNCF said in a statement.

5 HURT IN N3 PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE COLLAPSE

The road linking Eastgate and Primrose was immediately closed off early on Wednesday morning.

The N3 bridge that collapsed.

JOHANNESBURG - Five people have been injured after a pedestrian bridge collapsed along the N3 Geldenhuys Interchange.

The collapse occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Emergency services say the pedestrian bridge collapse may have been caused by an earth tremor recorded in the area.

The road linking Eastgate and Primrose was immediately closed off early this morning.

Ekurhuleni emergency services William Ntladi says the affected route has been closed in both directions.

“They are now investigating the cause of the bridge collapse. We have five people who were injured.”

It’s not yet clear what caused the collapse.

JMPD's Wayne Minaar says the N3 has been blocked off said: “Traffic is being diverted and motorists are advised to avoid the N3 going north and should rather travel to Buccleuch Interchange if they are going to the airport."

Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance councillor in the Edenvale area Heather Hart says heavy billboards which were hanging on the bridge may have been a factor.

“The councillors have been warning the metro about putting enormous billboards on the bridge, they were never designed to take the weight of a billboard.”

Ekurhuleni emergency services say three trucks and a car crashed into the concrete bridge.

Pavillion Collapses at John Pittard Elementary School

Published: August 2, 2017

Murfreesboro Firefighters (District 6, 8 and District 7) responded to reports of a building collapse at John Pittard Elementary School Wednesday just after 3:30 pm, following a fast moving storm with high winds.

Firefighters cut through the fallen structures roof and used airbags to raise the roof to check for victims. Since the school year has not yet begun, there were no children present at the school and there were no injuries.

The large pavilion, located on the school grounds at 745 DeJarnette Lane, fell during a time that Chad Gehrke , Airport Manager of nearby Murfreesboro Airport, saw winds in excess of 60 mph and homes around the school report tree limbs down.

Murfreesboro Codes and Engineering is working with schools maintenance Director Larry Willeford to secure a plan to remove the damaged structure before school begins for a half day on Friday. Assistant City Engineer Sam Huddleston states "The cause of the collapse looks like strong straight line winds which caused some uplift, and an anchor bolt in the concrete slab failed, causing the collapse!"

The pavilion was permitted and constructed in 2015. City schools maintenance crews secured the area and Murfreesboro Police will conduct a special watch overnight.